Although dentists have long recommended that teeth should be brushed after every meal, following such recommendation is often not convenient for most people. Commercially available toothbrushes are elongate, rigid articles and as such are not conveniently carried in one's pocket. Moreover, conventional toothpaste tubes are also quite large, bulky and inconvenient to carry around. As a result, most people who work for a living do not brush their teeth after the noon meal simply because they do not have a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste with them at their place of business.
Similarily, passengers on airplanes or other modes of public transportation often fail to brush after meals for the same reason. Even school children are not equipped to brush after lunch.
Several inventors have noted the deficiencies of the conventional toothbrush, and have developed alternative devices. Some of the inventive devices such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,419,896 to Hobelmann and 2,966,691 to Cameron are provided with toothpaste or other suitable dentifrice pre-applied to the bristles of the brush. These devices thus eliminate the need to carry a separate tube of toothpaste with the toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,528 to Arraval, U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,901 to Spector and U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,986 to Rosofsky are other U.S. patents showing therapeutic agents.
Other U.S. patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 1,168,998, to Bradenburg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,113 to Jacob, U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,931 to Iskoe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,959 to Hallahan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,129 to Labick and U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,804 to Austin. Foreign patents of interest include U.K. 324,237, France 320,120, France 575,672 and U.K. 398,919.
Importantly, none of the earlier devices provide a small, flexible, handleless toothbrush that can be carried in a pocket, a billfold, a purse, or other container and still be in sterile condition when used.